Pepperedjack

I consider every step of the writing process work. That being said, I enjoy revision and editing. It's like rediscovering your story all over again, and making it better at the same time. Revising drafts tends to go quicker for me than creating rough ones. The only thing I don't like about revision is having to write an entirely new scene to replace material I had to cut because it just wasn't working.

I try to think of the most flamboyant titles for my fics. Which probably works against me and the more serious or sarcastic nature of my work, but I cannot resist the temptation.

I rarely plan out the exact number of chapters a story will need. Once I get a ballpark estimation in my head, I either try to figure out how a story will end, or I don’t, and rush in. As far as chapter length goes…for long fiction I have a rule of thumb (not an iron law) I use that I picked up from some place else, I can’t remember where. That rule is: At least one important plot point per chapter. What I mean by that is, try to have the story take a significant step forward with every chapter, and if a subplot or two gets advanced along the way, so much the better. Don’t worry about chapter lengths being consistent throughout a fic, readers won’t care for the most part about uneven lengths as long as the chapters are effective. Unless the size difference is extreme (like 200 words for one, 8000 for the next). I find a well developed chapter is difficult to do in under 1000-2000 words, but there are always exceptions. As far as ending chapters, try to alternate cliff-hanger endings (if you like to write them) with uhh…non-cliff-hanging endings. Even if a chapter ending is not a cliffhanger, try to end on a strong thought or image or scene, and don’t linger. Leave the aftermath for a later chapter. For example, if you want a chapter to end with a college student getting fed up and shouting at his pushy professor, try ending it with the last sentence describing the door slamming shut behind the student as he storms out. Don’t even show the professor’s reaction just yet, make the reader got to the next chapter to find out.

I gravitate towards long fiction. I am also very interested in writing short stories, but those are a whole different stripe of animal. If I’d have to pick an absolute favorite, I’d go with the novella. Novellas give you some of the same advantages as short and long fiction, with only half or less the time commitment of a novel. I’ll read a fic of any length if resonates with me. Make me care about the characters, have interesting things happen to them, and I’m in for the long haul. Though I admit, if I’m cruising for the smut, I’ll skip ahead sometimes.

For me, it’s not “write what you know,” it’s “know what you write.” I do my best to stay invisible in what I write (not sure how successful I am, but it’s my goal). I research, and then hope my imagination carries me the rest of the way. On one hand, I write about characters, acts, settings that interest me personally. On the other, I do not share my personal life in my writing. However, one’s personal experience, and one’s ability to observe the universe around them, to recall and carefully select just the right details is essential in crafting fiction. Wow, I almost sound like I know what the hell I’m talking about. Ha!

Guy here. For the longest time I never put much thought into it, really: the male to female ratio in fan fiction, and how women typically hold the superior numbers. I usually don’t assign a gender to an author unless I really get to know them, and even then, I never ask to make certain. Sex, gender doesn’t seem very important to me in a virtual community where everyone’s a pseudonym and can show others exactly what they want them to see. I get the impression that there’s a higher percentage of males in the Video Game fandoms, but even then I’m not so sure. Doesn’t matter, it’s the quality of an individual’s work that’s always my prime concern.

I’m working on 2 stories right now. Both are multi-chaptered and are thus taking forever and a day to get done. I really should look into drafting some one shots, but I find it difficult to cram a story, a premise, and believable in-character sex together in just a few thousand words. The last thing I want to do is sweat and slave for over a year on an epic porn story, and yet that’s what my muse hands me. I don’t think I could handle more than 2 projects at once, even while I’ve got ideas for about 14 or so.